The first three chapters of Blood Relations: Caribbean Immigrants and the Harlem Community cover the early days of the Caribbean migration to New York City. It discusses the previous events that occurred leading up to the eventual mass movement. To my surprise, after emancipation took place in the West Indies, there was a primary wave of intermigration as previously enslaved persons moved away from plantations. This wave of migration, which was characterized by immigrants’ search for labor, was under the clear influence of social structures and class separations. The next main wave of immigration was to Panama. Many Caribbean immigrants flocked there, from 1904 – 1914, when construction of the Panama Canal was handed over to America. Although the Caribbean people worked under Jim Crow conditions, many utilized their smartly saved “Panama Money” to take their family straight to New York. In Panama, economic mobility, though rare, did exist and allowed for some to pay for their own passage to the US.
It was only until World War I, when job availability was weak, that America finally became a main destination for Caribbean immigrants. Many made it to America via the United Fruit Company, which brought Caribbean immigrants to US coastal cities. Traveling and living in New York City required a strong family network. The theme of kinship and community networks, which is present in the other articles we read, continues here. Having family connections already established in the city was not only economically beneficial, but emotionally helpful as well. As I view it, emotions play a huge role in whether or not an immigrant chooses to return to his or her homeland. Being separated from loved ones and being unable to maintain a steady job can cause some emotional strife. Nonetheless, people were finding their way into America, be it as a stowaway on a steam ship or enduring the arduous battle for an American visa.
Harlem was not always a hub for immigrants. In the early 1900s it was a predominately Irish and German community. Yet with purchase of real estate by the Payton’s in 1903, the transformation towards a mixed community had begun. Although early blacks met white resistance, by 1920 it had died out with the massive arrival of immigrants. Real estate and property management are also mentioned to be integral in the development of the Harlem community. Both native and immigrant blacks invested in buying and renting out property within Harlem.
The article finally focuses on social institutions that helped new immigrants in the city. Various organizations, such as the New York Colored Mission, would provide aid to different groups within the immigrant community. Help for finding jobs or obtaining food and shelter would be provided. Continuing the promotion of social welfare, some families would even take in “lodgers.” Lodgers would live with a family, and in exchange help pay for rent and other expenses.
While reading these chapters a few things stood out to me. First off was the separation that existed within the black community in New York. Caribbean and other immigrants had achieved the “model immigrant” status. Thus, at times, they were treated better than native blacks. While they may have initially been discriminated because of skin color, once they showed signs of being of a different culture, speaking a different language, or even having a hint of an accent, they were generally accepted.
The introductory chapter also establishes a strong point. It answers the question, “Why is it important that we focus on the communal development and Caribbean immigrant influence in Harlem?” It notes that it will “help us to understand more about the nature of American community life itself” (10). The unique development of Harlem would not be the same if it were not for the “[interacial] ethnic dimension” (10).
